EXCLUSIVE
Concerned: AMA president Brian Owler. Photo: Andrew Meares
Doctors could be forced to churn through patients more quickly in order to absorb cuts to their income linked to the proposed $7 Medicare fee, the new federal president of the Australian Medical Association has warned.
Brian Owler, a Sydney neurosurgeon widely known as the face of the ”Don’t Rush” road safety campaign, said he was concerned the introduction of the fee could hurt the quality of care delivered by doctors, particularly those serving poorer communities where patients would not be able to afford to pay.
From July next year, the government plans to cut the Medicare rebate for a GP consultation by $5, and encourage doctors to charge a $7 fee. As part of the changes, the $6 incentive currently paid to a doctor whenever they bulk-bill a patient will only be paid when the doctor charges the $7 fee, and only when the patient is a child or concession card holder.
Health Minister Peter Dutton has argued doctors will retain the discretion to bulk-bill patients, but under the changes a doctor who does so would receive $11 less per consultation than they would under the current arrangements.